


Partners

by noirangetrois



Category: Gundam Wing
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Canon-Typical Violence, M/M, Post-Endless Waltz, Preventers (Gundam Wing)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:49:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27629813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noirangetrois/pseuds/noirangetrois
Summary: Heero slowly realizes that his partner at Preventers, Wufei, means a lot more to him than he realized. But what is there to do? He can't risk his friendship, his partnership, or his whole world falling apart. Keeping it secret is his only option.
Relationships: Chang Wufei/Heero Yuy
Comments: 12
Kudos: 25
Collections: Fandom Trumps Hate 2020





	1. Before

**Author's Note:**

  * For [perfectjustice](https://archiveofourown.org/users/perfectjustice/gifts).



> This is a Fandom Trumps Hate entry, written on behalf of Perfectjustice. I hope you like it! Eternal thanks go to [NomadTL](https://www.twitch.tv/nomadtl), my very own Duo, whose beta skills have made this so much better than it would have been without her input. You're the best!

“Come in!” Heero heard Trowa call from behind the front door to his friend’s apartment. He opened the door to see that everyone else had already arrived.

“Quatre, I didn’t realize you were going to make it this time,” he said, pleasantly surprised.

“A major client cancelled the meetings we had this week due to a family emergency, otherwise I wouldn’t have,” the blonde responded. “It’s great to see you guys, it feels like it’s been forever.”

Duo took a swig of beer. “Over a month. Trowa, are you sure you don’t want any help?”

“Yes, Duo, I’m sure. The whole point of these dinners is for me to practice the recipes I’ve learned. I won’t get the practice if someone else is doing the work.”

“Suit yourself, man, I just feel bad watching you work so hard when we’re just sitting around relaxing and drinking.”

Wufei rolled his eyes. “I don’t feel bad. If Trowa wants to slave over a meal that we get to enjoy, I’m happy to take advantage.”

Heero let the banter wash over him as he perused the beer selection in Trowa’s fridge. It was quite a variety, all from micro-breweries in Sanq.

“Pick one already, I need to get in there,” Trowa said, only half jokingly.

Heero grabbed one randomly and scooted out of the way, sitting down next to Wufei at the large kitchen table. Duo leaned over and offered him the bottle opener on his keychain, and once his beer was opened, Heero checked the label to find he’d chosen a brandywine, clocking in at 10.8%.

“Good thing your super soldier treatments made you practically immune to booze,” Duo joked. “That stuff will knock you on your ass if you're not careful. You can barely taste the alcohol.”

Heero grunted in response as he took his first swig. He’d been too young to really remember everything Dr. J and Dekim had done to him to enhance his strength and other abilities, but what he did remember was less than pleasant. Duo meant well, but the reminder wasn’t what Heero wanted when he was trying to have a good time with friends.

Wufei looked at him, reaching over to give his shoulder a squeeze before taking a swig of his own beer. The silent reassurance was enough. Of all the other former pilots, Wufei was the only one he’d confided in with any real details about his harrowing childhood. He was his best friend, after all, and his partner at Preventers on top of that.

The conversation had moved on as Heero was lost in thought, and he opted to listen rather than contribute, enjoying the company of the only other people in the Earth Sphere who really understood him.

“Alright everyone, soup’s on!” Trowa announced.

“It’s not soup,” Duo snarked, looking at the bowls of carefully arranged ingredients over white rice. “In fact, it’s not anything I’ve had before. What’s it called?”

“How observant,” Trowa deadpanned. “It’s bibimbap, a Korean rice dish. The egg will get cold if you just stand there waiting, so move your ass.”

“Yes, sir!” Duo grabbed one of the bowls along with a set of chopsticks and took his seat back at the table. The others followed and for a while, conversation halted as everyone savored the meal.

“Delicious as always,” Quatre pronounced a short time later. “Thank you again, Trowa. It’s always special when you cook for us. Plus, I haven’t been to Korea for work in over a year, so I’ve missed bibimbap. This was a definite success.”

Trowa smiled in thanks. “Ready for dessert, everyone?”

Duo perked up. “Sure am! What’s it to be?”

“I decided to stick with a Korean theme, so I made a sweet rice dish called yaksik. Hopefully that’s not too much rice for your taste.”

“When it’s your cooking? No way.”

“Let me just get it out of the fridge, then.”

The conversation flowed as the five men enjoyed the sweet treat, and before long Heero had completely forgotten the unwelcome reminder of his past.

“So what’s that you found out about the latest rebel group, Heero?” Duo asked. “I didn’t have time to go to the briefing you gave today.”

“Hey, no shop talk at dinner,” Trowa insisted.

“Alright, alright. But seriously, tell me about it tomorrow. I think I might have found something connected to it.”

“Will do.”

“Thanks. Alright, I brought three movies tonight. Action, comedy or drama?”

Wufei groaned in annoyance. “Not one of / _ your _ / comedies. And the action flicks you choose have the worst choreography. I vote for the drama.”

“That’s one for drama from Mr. Grumpy-pants.”

Trowa guffawed while Quatre did his best to hide his laughter with a cough. Heero just smiled softly, enjoying the disgruntled look on his partner’s face. No one could rile the Chinese man up quite like Duo did, and Duo certainly relished doing so.

“Drama works for me,” Quatre agreed, followed by the others.

“Drama it is!” Duo put the other movies aside, inserting the third into the disk player below Trowa’s wide-screen TV. 

The five of them settled on the couch and chairs, getting comfortable. The couch was large enough to sit three if they didn’t mind getting close, and predictably, Duo took one end and draped his legs across Wufei and Heero. Wufei didn’t even protest this time, Heero noted with amusement.

Heero was in the middle, and he found himself relaxing from the close contact with his friends. His therapist had commented more than once that his childhood experiences had contributed to a strong need for physical contact as an adult, but there were very few people he trusted enough to allow that. The other former Gundam pilots were among those few.

They were soon engrossed in the movie, which turned out to be better than Heero had expected. As the closing credits rolled and Duo got up to eject the disk, Heero found himself wishing every night could be like this. His lap and right side were cold from the absence of Duo’s body, but his left was still comfortably warm up against Wufei.

“Earth to Heero,” he heard Trowa say and snapped out of his thoughts.

“What?”

“Time to call it a night. We’ve got work in the morning, remember? And I’ve got cleaning to do.”

“I still don’t understand why you won’t let us help with that, after doing all the cooking,” Duo griped.

“Deal with it. A good host doesn’t put his guests to work.”

“Leave it be, Maxwell,” Wufei advised. “And Yuy, don’t stay up late reading again. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.” He leaned into Heero’s side as if to emphasize his words, then stood up.

Heero grunted in response, feeling the additional loss of body heat keenly. Rising, he gave a parting nod to each of his friends, then headed for home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thus concludes the first chapter! I will be publishing every Monday until all the chapters are up. Chapters 1 through 4 are already written, so there shouldn't be any interruptions. There's a slight chance this will turn into a 6 chapter fic rather than 5, we shall see!


	2. Mission Not Accomplished

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a day late. Thanks again to [NomadTL](https://www.twitch.tv/nomadtl) for the amazing beta work!

As it turned out, Duo’s information was indeed connected to the rebel group Heero had been briefing the team about the previous day.

“We need to bring this to Une,” Heero said, standing.

Duo stood as well. “Let me get the information on a thumb drive real quick and I’ll meet you at her office.”

As Duo headed for his desk, Heero strode toward Une’s office and approached her secretary.

“Jonathan, Duo and I have urgent information for the Director. Is she available?”

“She’s on an important call right now. How urgent?”

“We need to act on this within the next hour.”

“I’ll notify her.”

While Heero waited, Duo arrived, and before long, Jonathan stood and opened the door for them.

“This better be good, Yuy,” Une said, impatience bleeding into her words. “The ESUN President was / _ not _ / happy to have our call cut short.”

“It’s about Barton’s Disciples, ma’am. Duo uncovered correspondence about a planned induction ceremony. They’ve been using social media to radicalize potential new members, and there are apparently 10 new ‘recruits’ that will be added to their ranks tonight. One of them is from an incredibly wealthy family and could provide them with the financial resources they’ve been looking for.”

“I see. Duo, do you have this correspondence?”

“Right here,” he said, handing it over. “The location is about two hours away and it’s taking place at midnight.”

“Very well. Duo, inform Chang that the two of you will be interrupting this ceremony. You will need to be in place an hour ahead of time, so communicate with Operations to get whatever it is you’ll need, and how much backup you want. I want you taking as many people into custody as possible.”

Heero was taken aback. “Ma’am, why Duo with Chang? Chang is my partner, we usually do ops together.”

“Because I need your expertise with cybersecurity on another, unrelated operation tonight. I apologize for the late notice, but I was briefed on the situation minutes before my call with the President. Please proceed to Noin’s office so she can fill you in on the details. That will be all, gentlemen.”

Heero was not at all happy at this turn of events, but there was nothing he could do about it. As they left Une’s office, he felt his anxiety begin to rise. Never before had one of them gone on a mission without the other, not since the war.

“Heero, it’ll be okay. Barton’s Disciples still haven’t secured the weaponry they’ve been looking for so they won’t be well armed.”

Heero nodded curtly, not saying anything. Duo stopped, putting a hand on Heero’s arm to halt his progress.

“I’ll take care of him, I promise. You know I’m good at what I do. Trust me, okay?” Duo met Heero’s gaze steadily, and it occurred to Heero that Duo might be a bit offended at his seeming lack of confidence in his abilities.

“Yes you are, Duo. Thank you.”

Duo grinned. “What are friends for? Anyway, we’ve both got places to be. Have fun hacking whatever you’re hacking tonight! We’ll tell you all about how we trounced the bad guys and put them all behind bars when we get back.” With a wink, the braided man was gone.

* * *

Heero's job was also going to last late into the night, he discovered. The “hacking,” as Duo so cavalierly called it, involved finding a back way into a major crime syndicate’s private servers at precisely the right time. Luckily for him, the precise time was going to be at about three in the morning. He would be laying the groundwork for the job for several hours beforehand, for which he was grateful. It would occupy his mind, keeping him from worrying too much about Wufei.

Except it didn’t, really, as midnight rolled around and Heero couldn’t help but wonder how his and Duo’s operation was fairing. It was only with effort that he was able to focus on the task at hand.

There were others working with him, and given how long the job was taking, they occasionally took breaks, leaving the room to use the bathroom or grab some coffee. Here and there, Heero overheard snippets of conversation as his coworkers passed time during downtime in their efforts. A surprising amount of any job like this was sitting and waiting while the computers processed commands. Even for high powered ones, the work they were doing sometimes took a few minutes.

It was just a few minutes before go time for the final phase of the operation when some of the conversation filtered into Heero’s awareness. One of his coworkers had just returned from a break. Heero didn’t catch the whole conversation, but when “Chang” was followed closely by “injured,” his brain short circuited.

“Alvarez,” he barked. “Take point.” He stood up and strode from the room, ignoring the woman’s shouted, “What gives, Yuy?!”

He all but ran as he took the stairs two at a time, heading to the infirmary in the basement. He kept from panicking through sheer force of will, but it was a close thing. Visions of Wufei and blood swam in his mind’s eye, urging him to greater speed.

When he opened the door to the infirmary, he saw Duo sitting in the waiting area. Duo’s eyes widened at the expression on Heero’s face as he stalked toward him.

“Where is he? What happened?”

“Heero, calm down. It was a minor cut, Sally said it won’t even need stitches.”

Heero stood as his heart continued to race, not fully processing the words. The images in his head wouldn’t stop.

“It’s okay, Heero, really. He’s going to be okay,” Duo said, his tone a soothing croon that Heero had once heard his use to calm a wild dog. He felt like a wild creature.

Taking a deep breath, he sat next to Duo and put his head in his hands. “I thought…” he began, but he couldn’t finish. Duo’s hand came up to rub his back, and the touch reassured him.

A door opened, and the man in question stepped out, a bandage visible on his upper arm. He took in the scene of Duo comforting Heero and his eyes took on a contemplative look Heero couldn’t quite interpret.

“I see you’ve heard of our return,” Wufei said wryly. “Things didn’t quite go as planned, but we were able to take some of them into custody.” He gestured to his arm. “One of them had a knife. Nothing serious.”

Heero nodded and stood. “I need to get back. I’m glad it wasn’t anything major.” He left before either of his friends could say anything more.

As he took the stairs back up, he mentally winced at the reaming Une was going to give him for abandoning his post. If he were honest with himself, even he was surprised at his behavior. He’d never been so derelict in his duty before.

If it had been Duo injured, would he have abandoned his job to check if he was okay? Probably not, Heero admitted to himself. If it had been serious, he would have been told. But as soon as he heard it was Wufei, he hadn’t been able to make that connection, he’d just panicked. Wufei was… more… to him, he realized. Much more, even. The other pilots were like brothers, but Wufei… As he gathered himself to return to his work, Heero tried not to think about all the implications of his new awareness. He just wasn’t ready for that.


	3. It Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is coming a day early because I'm having computer trouble and want to post this before I head home and have nothing but my phone to work from. I hope you enjoy!

Heero stretched next to the wrestling mat that he and Wufei had reserved for the hour, waiting for his friend to join him, and tried not to think too hard about why he was anticipating this match so much. Anticipating and dreading.

It certainly wasn’t a big deal. This was a weekly ritual, and really, nothing had changed since the week before. Nothing at all.

Before long, Wufei arrived, set down his gym bag and began his own stretches.

“You ready to get schooled again, Yuy?”

“Please. You may have beaten me last week, but I won the two weeks before that, remember?”

“Because you were fighting dirty.”

“Duo’s right, Chang. We shouldn’t limit ourselves to what’s considered fair play. The bad guys won’t.”

Wufei scowled. “Since when do you listen to Maxwell?”

“Sometimes he makes a good point, and this is one of those times.”

“Fine.” Wufei followed up his capitulation with a smirk. “But I warn you, you’ll probably regret letting me fight any way that I want.”

“No way,” Heero said. “The more difficult, the better. How else am I supposed to improve?”

“Fair enough. Ready?”

Heero stepped out onto the mat in response and Wufei followed, standing a couple yards away. They began circling each other, all discussion over so they could concentrate on the sparring match. 

Heero breathed deeply and evenly, trying to focus. Trying not to get distracted. There was no room for error when he and Wufei went up against each other. The other man was simply too skilled. But Heero was a match for him, so long as he could keep his head in the game.

Wufei lunged, aiming a kick at Heero’s midsection, and Heero barely managed to dodge it. It was impossible for Heero not to notice the way Wufei’s muscles moved under the skin, and when Heero retaliated, Wufei ducked under his punch effortlessly, then swept out his leg to trip the Japanese man. Heero noted the surprise on his partner’s face when he succeeded in knocking Heero to the ground. Heero rolled to the side, intent on evading the next attack while he mentally kicked himself for his lack of focus.

Nothing had changed, he told himself. Except that everything had changed.

After the match, Wufei was looking at him a little too closely for his comfort. Had he been that obvious? Did Wufei know?

“Heero, that was embarrassing. Something must be going on.”

“Nothing’s going on,” Heero asserted, wishing it were true.

“I don’t believe you.”

“Not my problem,” Heero replied. Then regretted it when he saw the hurt in his partner’s eyes.

“Suit yourself, Yuy, but when you decide you’re ready to talk about it, I’m here. I’ll see you tomorrow.” With that, Wufei picked up his bag and left the gym.

Tomorrow. At least tomorrow was Friday. He and Wufei hadn’t made plans for the weekend, and he had a feeling that Wufei wouldn’t offer after that little exchange. He only had to make it through one more day of pretending nothing was different. That is, until Monday. And the entire rest of his life.

With a sigh, he picked up his own bag and headed home.

* * *

The next day, Wufei was perfectly civil and professional, but clearly had not forgotten Heero’s sharp words from the night before.

Heero sat at his desk in the large office that he shared with Wufei, Duo and Trowa. At some point, Wufei and Trowa had both left on some errand or other, and it was just Heero and Duo in the room.

“So,” Duo drawled, and Heero already knew he did not want to have this conversation. “You and Wufei. What’s up?”

“What do you mean?” Heero said without looking away from his computer.

“Don’t give me that. Something’s going on. He’s been giving you the cold shoulder all day. Now spill.”

“Our sparring match ended badly last night,” Heero said, honestly enough, hoping that would be enough for Duo to let it go.

“How’s that? Neither of you seem injured.”

Heero finally looked up, glared daggers at the braided man, then went back to his work without replying.

“Fine. I’ll just ask ‘Fei. I’m sure he’ll tell me.”

Heero just snorted and got back to work. It was unlikely. And besides, what was there that Wufei could tell him? That Heero had gotten trounced because, for some reason, he wasn’t focusing? Unless Wufei had figured out… no. He wouldn’t entertain that possibility.

Heero was incredibly relieved when five o’clock rolled around. He was just pressing the button in the elevator for the ground floor when Trowa got in.

“Heero,” he said by way of greeting.

“Trowa.” They stood in silence for a moment before Heero felt compelled to say more. “Any weekend plans?”

“How about dinner, actually?” Trowa asked. “I didn’t have any plans but it’s been a while since we caught up.”

“We see each other every day at work.”

The taller man rolled his eyes. “Sure, and pretty much all we talk about is work. I’d like to hear about what else is going on in your life. You do have a life, don’t you?”

What else was going on in his life? Other than messing up his friendship with Wufei? He was _not_ going to talk to Trowa about that.

“I have a life,” Heero said defensively.

“So tell me about it. We’ll go to Darcy’s, I’ll buy you a beer.”

“Fine,” Heero agreed reluctantly.

Trowa laughed. “Don’t sound so excited about it. Really though, I’d rather hang out with a friend than go home to an empty apartment like I usually do on a Friday night.”

Darcy’s was a hole in the wall not far from Preventers Headquarters. The former pilots met there often, sometimes even including Quatre when he could fit it into his schedule.

It wasn’t as bad as Heero had feared. If Trowa had noticed anything different between Heero and Wufei that day, he chose not to mention it. He talked about the latest cooking class he was taking, this time on how to make different types of kimchi. 

Eventually, Heero talked about the new park he’d started going to for his morning runs and the latest book he’d been reading. As usual, it was a history book about Pre-Colony Earth, this time about the building of the Great Pyramids in Egypt. As he talked, he began to relax, and even forgot about his troubles with Wufei for a while.

“Thanks for inviting me to dinner, Trowa,” he said as they stood at the register.

“Anytime, Heero. It seemed like you could use it.”

Heero was instantly on guard. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t know what’s going on between you and Wufei, and you don’t have to tell me, but I could sense the tension. Thought you could use a distraction.”

Heero let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Yeah. I could. Thanks.” When he didn’t elaborate, Trowa didn’t ask, and Heero felt eternally grateful for that. Trowa was a good friend. Sometimes he forgot just how good.

“I’ll see you on Monday, okay?” Trowa said as they parted ways. “Though really, I’m free all weekend. Give me a call if you want to hang out some more.”

“Alright. Thanks again.”

“Sure thing.”

As he drove home, Heero started to wonder if maybe Trowa was someone he could talk to about what was going on. He immediately discarded the idea, however. What if Trowa felt obligated to tell Wufei? That would be an unmitigated disaster, he was sure. Somehow, he was going to have to figure out how to deal with it on his own. And how to mend fences with his partner. 

But how was he supposed to do that when his partner was the last person he could be honest with? Heero could barely admit the truth to himself. How, exactly, did one go about telling his best friend that he was attracted to him? It’s not like they could act on it. Company policy forbade “fraternization” between partners. And what were the chances that Wufei would even reciprocate? No, Heero was going to have to keep this to himself. Somehow.

* * *

Monday rolled around and Heero was no closer to a solution to his problems. Wufei was continuing to be coolly professional towards him. The distancing hurt, but he had no idea how to fix it.

“Hey Heero, Wufei, Une wants us in the briefing room, stat,” Duo said as he stuck his head into their shared office. “Something big about the Barton revival group, I think.”

“We’ll be there,” Heero replied, speaking for both of them. Wufei nodded in agreement. Duo ducked out and Heero finished the sentence he’d been writing on his latest report. “It’s like you predicted, then.”

“Seems so, though I’d hoped I was wrong.”

“Only one way to find out.” Heero waited as Wufei finished up what he’d been typing, then they both headed for the briefing room.

“Yuy, Chang, thank you for joining us,” Une said as they sat down. Trowa and Duo were the only other two in the room. “I wanted you four on this specifically, as it’s to do with Barton’s Disciples. They’ve been working to secure weaponry in order to enact their plans for a revolution, and it seems they’ve found a potential supplier. The gun runner in question goes by Zero, of all things, and is operating out of Venice. That’s a three hour flight from here so we need you to grab your go bags and move out immediately. Noin will brief you on the trip. Any questions?”

“No ma’am,” came Duo’s reply, followed by three shaking heads from the others.

“Very well, gentlemen. God’s speed.” With that, the Commander stood up and left the room.

“Better hurry up I guess,” Duo said needlessly. “Last one to the jet’s a rotten egg!”

Heero and Wufei just looked at each other, and Heero could tell Wufei was barely refraining from rolling his eyes. A moment later, they followed Duo and Trowa out of the room and went their respective ways.


	4. Into the Lion's Den

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, technical difficulties have prompted me to post a day early. I hope you enjoy!

The rendezvous point was at the loading docks of a shipyard on the outskirts of Venice, apparently a haunt of choice for local criminals once the sun went down. They had conferred with local police, who were waiting out of sight on the north side of the docks while Duo and Trowa approached from the west and Heero and Wufei approached from the east. The Corps of the Port Captaincies – Italy’s equivalent of the coast guard – patrolled the water nearby, cutting off escape by sea.

They had been in place and waiting for over an hour before any of the players showed up. Three expensive black SUVs drove up to the area their informant had identified, and several men with semi-automatics got out and gave a cursory search of the area. That search did not include looking on top of any of the nearby shipping crates, thankfully, as that was where the former pilots had arrayed themselves. If their information was correct, these were Zero’s men. As far as their information told them, it was unlikely Zero himself would make an appearance for a deal as small as this one was supposed to be.

About half an hour later, two more vehicles showed up, rentals from the look of them and not nearly as expensive as the SUVs. Heero tensed in readiness as two of the Disciples that they had dossiers on stepped out of the newer cars. Lucas Gunderson, a Dane and former Alliance officer, the taller of the two and higher ranking than the other, came out of the leading car. Marzia Rossi, an Italian, was presumably the Disciples’ “in” with Zero, as her background came from the criminal underground of Italy as well. They were followed by a few others apparently acting as bodyguards. They were not as well armed as Zero’s men, unless they were packing more than the readily visible pistols. But that was why they were here: to obtain better weapons, in bulk.

In order for the arrests to stick, they needed to wait until the exchange was actually made. It was dangerous enough to go up against such well-armed goons as Zero apparently had in his employ. Once Barton’s Disciples had the guns they were here to buy, they would be that much harder to detain. Trowa had pointed out that they were unlikely to be able to use them with any skill right away, and Heero had to agree. It was an edge that they needed, given how well trained Zero kept his people, if reports were to be believed.

A few exchanged words between Gunderson and one of Zero’s men. From his vantage point, Heero couldn’t get a good look at their lips. Gunderson handed over a small disk, which Zero’s man inserted into a small device. A credit chip and a reader, probably loaded with one of the untraceable crypto currencies that was popular amongst criminals. Zero’s man nodded, then gestured to another one, who opened the trunks of each of the SUVs. They contained mostly automatic weapons, but also a few grenade launchers.

Heero, who was lead on the operation, pressed a button on the side of his com unit. It would cause a tone to play in each of the operative’s units, a signal to close in on their targets. Wufei, who was on the other corner of the same shipping crate as Heero, looked at him, nodded, then jumped down to the ground on the opposite side of the crate from the bad guys. Heero followed. He gestured for Wufei to take point, and his partner did as indicated, creeping around to the corner nearest their adversaries.

They waited until the tone from Duo and Trowa came, indicating their readiness to strike, and Heero responded with two tones in succession. Go time.

Wufei swung out from behind the crate and quickly disabled the nearest guard. The man cried out as he fell, immediately alerting the others who were nearby, but Heero was ready. Before the next nearest man could raise his weapon, Heero had shot him, twice. He fell without a sound, but the report of Heero’s gun made that moot. Anyone who hadn’t heard the first man’s cry would have heard that. Soon, gunfire erupted in the distance. Duo and Trowa had engaged the enemy as well.

Heero came up beside Wufei and they advanced together. Taking cover around the side of another shipping crate nearby the exchange, Wufei yelled out, “Preventers! Surrender yourselves now!”

The response was a volley of bullets. “No surprise there,” Wufei muttered. Heero had to agree. The penalty for possession of this grade of weaponry, let alone the illegal sale, was up to a life sentence. No one had expected anyone to surrender.

At a lull between the gunfire aimed their way, Wufei leaned out and returned fire. Each time Wufei leaned out, exposing himself to danger, Heero’s heart skipped a beat. “Pull it together, Yuy,” he reprimanded himself. No time to lose focus now.

“I can’t get a good shot from here,” Wufei yelled over the noise. “I’m going for the next crate.” He nodded toward another shipping crate, not far away, that would give him a different angle to shoot from.

“Roger,” Heero responded, then leaned out himself to offer Wufei some covering fire.

Everything happened very quickly. Heero managed to wing one of the men shooting at them in the shoulder, but then immediately heard a cry from his partner. Glancing over, Heero saw his partner kneeling, trying to staunch the flow of blood from his upper thigh. Heero swore, turned back toward their adversaries and fired another volley of shots, then holstered his weapon and followed Wufei, dragging him behind the cover of the far crate.

He assessed the situation and fought back panic. The bullet must have nicked an artery. Already, Wufei’s face was taking on a ghastly shade of white. Heero quickly removed his belt, allowing handcuffs, his gun holster, and other gear to fall to the ground in his haste, then fashioned it into a tourniquet around Wufei’s upper thigh.

“Good,” Wufei mumbled, holding onto consciousness by a thread. “Lost too much blood already.” His eyes drooped, and Heero quickly took hold of his shoulders, shaking him gently.

“Stay with me, Chang. You’ve got to stay conscious,” he ordered. Wufei blinked his eyes wide, but they began to droop again immediately. The wound was still oozing blood, but much more slowly than before.

“Agent Wing to Agent Fire,” Heero said into his com unit. “Abort mission. Need immediate extraction. Agent down. I repeat, Agent down.”

“Location,” was Noin’s reply, coming across amidst a burst of static. Heero looked around for any marker that would help the other agents find them, then kicked himself mentally before turning on the GPS in his com unit.

“Location transmitting,” he told Noin as soon as the indicator light flashed green.

“Location received. Extraction team on its way, ETA 25 minutes.”

“Roger that,” Heero responded, hoping desperately that they would be there sooner. 25 minutes might be too late.

He didn’t have time to dwell on that fact, however. He heard footsteps coming nearer and quickly picked up his gun from the ground, moving to the edge of their cover. Just before the footsteps arrived, he swung around the corner and fired, two quick shots that dropped the two approaching men in their tracks.

He turned back to Wufei, who had fallen unconscious, but didn’t have time to shake him back awake. He had to stay alert to their surroundings and defend.

Three more downed enemies and an excruciating amount of time later, the cavalry arrived. Four agents scouted the area before signaling “secure” to Heero, and one approached him to help him carry Wufei.

“Ambulance is en route to meet us ten minutes from here, due east. Let’s get moving.”

“Roger that,” Heero replied, and they began carrying Wufei to safety.

It was the longest ten minutes of Heero’s life. It took every ounce of will not to give in to panic. He focused solely on moving forward, ears tuned to the sound of Wufei’s breath, which was not nearly as steady as Heero liked.

Then they were at the ambulance, and the paramedics quickly and efficiently loaded Wufei onto the gurney and into the vehicle. Heero hopped in without a word. As the paramedics went to work, Heero couldn’t focus on what they were saying to each other. They hooked up an IV and seemed to be monitoring his vitals, but all Heero could do was look at Wufei’s face. Too pale. It was too pale.

Heero had no idea how much time had passed when they arrived at the hospital. Wufei was whisked away, one of the paramedics putting his hand on Heero’s chest to stop him from following.

“The waiting room’s this way, sir,” he told Heero, and Heero nodded, feeling numb, then headed in that direction.

No one else was there when he arrived, and he dropped unceremoniously into the nearest chair. He looked at the clock. Two in the morning.

Heero kept glancing up at the clock, seeing that only minutes had passed when it seemed like hours. Soon he was pacing, eyes honing in on the clock at every turn. Two interminable hours later, a woman in a white lab coat stepped into the room.

“Are you here for Chang Wufei?” she asked in a slightly accented voice, and Heero nodded curtly, unable to find his voice. “Surgery was a success,” she continued. “He lost a lot of blood, but the damage has been repaired. It will take time to heal, but we expect a full recovery, given physical therapy.”

“When can I see him?”

“We’re transferring him to his own room, but that will only take a few minutes. I’ll send a nurse to fetch you when that’s finished. You’ll only be able to see him for a short while, as it’s past visiting hours.”

Heero nodded again, though he had no intention of leaving Wufei’s side once he got there, no matter what anyone said.

It wasn’t long before a young man in scrubs came and gestured for Heero to follow. Heero mentally mapped the path to the room, noting exits and defensive positions by habit more than need. Zero’s operation was not powerful enough to launch an assault on a hospital.

When they finally arrived at the room, Heero stopped in the doorway. Wufei looked so vulnerable, still too pale. He shook himself, then walked toward the bed, pulling a chair near to it and sitting down. He took Wufei’s hand, pulling it to his lips and kissing it, unable to stop the trickle of tears that ran down his face.

“Please, Chang. You have to make it through this. You have to.”


	5. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter! Thank you so much to my readers, and especially to [NomadTL](https://www.twitch.tv/nomadtl) for being such an excellent beta.

Noin stopped in to check on Heero soon after he made it to Wufei’s side.

“How is he?” she asked somberly.

Heero didn’t take his eyes from Wufei’s face, still willing him to wake up. “He lost a lot of blood, but the doctor said he should have a full recovery. Physical therapy will likely be necessary.”

“I’m sure Wufei will get through that with flying colors, like all endeavors he puts his mind to.” She pulled a second chair from against the wall close to where Heero sat. “Heero, look at me.” He did.

“You did everything you could. You know that right?” she asked with concern. “You got him the help he needed and saved his life. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

Heero opened his mouth to object. He shouldn’t have let Wufei make that desperate dash. “I should have–” he began, but Noin cut him off.

“Tell me, honestly, if you actually could have stopped Wufei from what he was doing when he got shot. Think about it, real hard, and tell me there was time, in the moment, for you to do anything about it. That you would somehow have taken out his attackers, when you know you had already been doing everything you possibly could.”

Heero thought for a minute, then shook his head. “You’re right,” he admitted. “It’s just… it doesn’t feel like you’re right. Logically, yes, but…”

“Emotionally not,” she finished for him. “I know that following your emotions is important to you, Heero, but you have to be careful not to let them control you. You know that, but Wufei is your partner. You’re too close to this to see it clearly, at least maybe not without some help. So. Believe me when I say, you did everything you could. That’s an order if you need it to be.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Heero said, smiling wryly. “Was… was the operation a success?” He honestly had no idea. He’d shut off his com unit so he could better focus on Wufei, and had shut down his partner’s at the request of medical staff in the ambulance.

Noin smiled. “It was. Everyone was rounded up and the weapons were secured. We didn’t get Zero himself, of course, but we got Gunderson, Rossi, and everyone else there. The credit chip they were paying with had over half of the Disciples’ known monetary resources, so this is a serious blow.”

Heero nodded, then looked back at Wufei. He knew his partner would think his injury more than worth such a successful outcome. In his place, Heero would feel the same. But it was hard for him to think past the utter terror he’d experienced, seeing Wufei’s face go paler and paler as he waited for backup to extract them, seeing him practically still and lifeless during that interminable ambulance ride.

“I put a word in with the staff,” Noin continued after a moment. “I’ve explained that your presence is necessary for Wufei’s safety. They won’t be asking you to leave.”

Heero closed his eyes, overcome. “Thank you, Noin.” He felt her hand on his shoulder, but didn’t look up.

“He’ll get through this, Heero. So will you.” He nodded, then heard her leave. Once again, he lifted Wufei’s hand to his lips and kissed it.

* * *

Duo and Trowa had stopped by soon after Noin, offering only a few words of sympathy. Their silent presence was more comforting than anything they could have said, so that is what they gave him.

The minutes bled into hours, and still Wufei slept. Nurses would bustle in periodically, checking the monitors and making notes in his chart, and they soon learned he wasn’t interested in conversation or reassurance. Heero left his side only to answer the call of nature, determined to be there when he woke.

The first rays of sunlight were just peeking in through the window when Noin returned bearing a water bottle, a cup of coffee, and an energy bar.

“I know you haven’t had anything to sustain you since you got here, and I know it’s useless to ask you to get some rest. You’re going to eat this before I leave, however, and drink at least half of this bottle. I figure I won’t have to push to get you to drink the coffee.”

Heero grunted, taking the proffered items and opening up the energy bar, taking a bite without really tasting anything.

Noin waited until he finished it and drank the requested amount of water, then nodded. “Good. Duo and Trowa have returned to headquarters to debrief, but I’ve requested to stay here for now.” She smiled. “Someone has to look out for you, and Une seems to agree. I’ll be back in a few hours, okay? Hang in there.” She turned to leave.

“Wait,” Heero found himself saying. “I… Thank you, Noin. You know my training, I would have been fine without the food, but… thank you.”

Noin just smiled at him knowingly. “You’re welcome, Heero. Let me know if he wakes up, okay? Otherwise, I’ll see you in a few.” She left without waiting for his response.

She came back around lunch time, bringing him an actual meal that he was barely able to force down under her watchful eye, his stomach was in such knots from the anxiety. With the amount of blood loss Wufei had suffered, he’d been told it was expected that he would not wake for some time, but that didn’t make him feel any better.

“I’ll bring an energy bar for dinner instead, shall I?” Noin asked, and Heero looked up. “Seems like you barely got that down. Maybe a bit much given the pressure you’re putting yourself under right now.”

“An energy bar would be better,” he agreed. So, a few hours later, she did, then bade him goodnight. He barely noticed her leave, having attention only for Wufei.

It was morning again when he came awake suddenly, not having intended to fall asleep. He wasn’t sure quite when he’d fallen asleep, but evidently he’d needed it. A nurse was in the room, and he looked at her immediately.

“Did he…?”

She smiled at him kindly. “He’s been asleep all night, just like you. About time you got some rest. Want me to bring you something to eat?”

He shook his head. “No, but thank you.”

“Suit yourself,” she said, smiling again before she left.

The strain of waiting, and waiting and waiting, was starting to get to Heero. No matter the doctor’s reassurances, Heero couldn’t but help but fear the worst. He lifted Wufei’s hand to his lips again.

“You’re going to pull through this. Do you hear me, Chang? You have to pull through this.” Heero’s voice broke as he fought back tears, holding on to his partner’s hand for dear life. He almost didn’t see Wufei’s eyes flutter open.

“You can call me Wufei, you know.” Wufei’s voice was so soft Heero nearly missed it.

The tears began to flow freely, relief overwhelming him. “Okay… Wufei.”

“How long have I been out?”

“27 hours,” Heero replied. He could have said the number of minutes. “You lost a lot of blood.”

“Nnn. That would explain… the exhaustion.” Wufei’s eyes drooped, then closed, and his breathing evened out as he fell back asleep. Heero didn’t move, just savored a new certainty that it was actually going to be okay. No matter what, it was going to be alright. He’d make sure of it.

* * *

Wufei was discharged the next day, and he, Heero and Noin caught a flight back to headquarters. The debrief took much longer than Heero had hoped, and Sally wanted to check Wufei over before releasing him to go home. Heero waited impatiently, determined to see his partner back to his apartment.

Wufei looked surprised to see him when he stepped out of the exam room, but hid it quickly. “My ride, I presume?”

Heero nodded in response and turned, not trusting his voice. It had all just been too much, and he was beginning to feel overwhelmed. Now that the crisis was over, the adrenaline was a distant memory and he felt ready to drop. But not before he saw Wufei safely home.

The car ride was silent, but when Heero pulled up in front of the apartment complex, Wufei surprised him by asking him to find a parking space and come up with him. Wufei rarely invited people to his place, even his close friends, needing his solitude. Heero acquiesced without a word, following as his friend made slow but steady progress to his abode, aided by a cane.

After putting his things down and gesturing for Heero to take a seat at the kitchen table, Wufei went about making tea. Heero knew better than to offer to help, despite Wufei’s obvious difficulty navigating the cane and tea accoutrements at the same time. When it was ready, he set a mug in front of Heero, then sat down himself. He took a sip, then put the tea aside and looked at Heero earnestly.

“I… have a question,” Wufei said, and Heero was surprised at his hesitancy.

“Sure,” Heero encouraged. 

“Are you going to tell me what was bothering you during our last sparring match?”

“Chang…”

“Wufei, remember?”

Heero closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. “Yes. Wufei. I remember. If I tell you… if I tell you this, it will change things between us.”

“Heero, look at me,” Wufei said intently. Heero looked up. “Believe me when I tell you that it might not change anything at all.”

Heero gazed at him searchingly. “What are you saying, Wufei?”

“You heard me. Now. What was bothering you?”

Heero swallowed. He’d gone over this moment in his mind so many times, but now that it was here, he couldn’t help but notice his racing heartbeat and too-deliberate breathing. In. Hold. Out. In. Hold. Out.

Wufei was still watching him, a patient hunter intent on his quarry. No way out but through.

“I… care about you, Wufei,” Heero began, eyes fixed on the mug of tea in his hands. “You know that of course, and I knew that, but… During your mission with Duo, when I heard you were injured, I panicked and abandoned my duties out of fear for you. I realized that I…” Heero wasn’t ready for  _ that _ word yet. “I care about you, romantically.”

Heero looked up, heart thumping and terrified of what he might see. He wasn’t expecting the small smile that greeted him.

“I did hear about how you ditched your station in the middle of that cyber op,” Wufei said. His lips twitched, fighting a larger smile. “It made me wonder. Your behavior at our sparring match made me rather certain. But I wanted to hear you say it yourself.” Wufei reached out and took one of Heero’s hands in his. Heero hadn’t thought his heart could beat any faster, but he’d been wrong.

“Thank you for telling me. You know I value honesty, and I will match yours with my own. I also… how did you put it? I also care about you romantically. I…” Now it was Wufei’s turn to look down, “I’ve known it for some time now. Before the mission with Duo, I didn’t think you felt the same way and, like you, I was afraid to change things between us.” He looked up again. “I said it might not change anything at all. Probably I should have said it wouldn’t change how I feel about you. We don’t have to… things don’t have to…” He shook his head, looking down once more. “Nothing has to change, but…”

“I want it to, too, Wufei,” Heero interjected. “At least, if you…?”

“Yes. I’d like to try… more, as well. You’re always telling me to follow my emotions. It’s about time I did.” Very slowly, Wufei leaned forward. Heero stopped breathing, focusing in on his partner’s lips. Lips he’d dreamed about, in between the nightmares. Those lips touched his, soft and sweet, and Heero’s eyes closed as he savored the taste and feel of them.

It was a short kiss, as kisses went, but Heero immediately knew it was one he’d remember for the rest of his days. When Wufei pulled away, looking at Heero searchingly, it was Heero’s turn to smile. Wufei seemed to relax in relief at his response.

“You know,” he began, then took a sip of his tea. “We’re going to have to talk to Une. That whole non-fraternization clause, and all that.”

Heero’s eyes widened. “Now? You want to talk to her… now? Already?”

Wufei sobered. “It doesn’t have to be right this minute, but it really should be before we go out in the field again, don’t you think?”

Heero pondered it for a moment, then nodded. “You’re right.” He smiled wryly. “I should have known you’d be a stickler for the rules.”

“You’re right, Heero. You should have known. Now, can I kiss you again?”

Heero didn’t answer him, just put his tea aside and leaned in to cover Wufei’s mouth with his own. He brought his hands up to cup either side of Wufei’s face, and as the kiss deepened, he felt Wufei’s arms twine around his neck. Lips met and tongues explored, and they were both breathing heavily when they finally parted.

They sat, foreheads leaning against each other and gazing into each other’s eyes.

“You know, Heero, I should have faked an injury on a mission ages ago. Maybe then you’d have figured it out sooner.”

Heero snorted, leaning back and taking Wufei’s hands into his own as they fell into his lap. “As if you would ever compromise a mission for something so trivial.”

Wufei shook his head, though his lips quirked in a smile. “Not trivial, Heero. Not trivial at all.” He leaned forward and gave Heero a small kiss. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m exhausted. Help me to my room?”

Heero was absolutely certain that Wufei didn’t need any help, but he didn’t contradict an opportunity to stay close to him. “Any help you need, I’m here,” he said.

Wufei stood up, holding out his hand to Heero. “I know.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to everyone who made it this far! Comments and kudos are much appreciated.


End file.
